Concerned about soaring healthcare costs, Idaho revealed a plan that will allow insurance companies to sell cheaper policies that ditch key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It's believed to be the first state to take formal steps without prior federal approval.

Dr. Simon Bramhall, who burned his initials into patients' livers during transplant operations, was fined 10,000 pounds ($13,600) this month and ordered to perform community service, according to the Associated Press.

A day after setting up its religious freedom office, HHS issued a sweeping new rule that details when Medicare and Medicaid providers can refuse care because it conflicts with their religious or moral beliefs.

HHS has launched a new a conscience and religious freedom division in its Office for Civil Rights. Agency officials said it was in response to increased complaints that providers' religious beliefs were not being respected in healthcare settings.

The CMS will propose limiting Medicare enrollees' ability to go to multiple providers or pharmacies to obtain pain medication, a tool that the agency believes will be crucial in combating the ongoing opioid epidemic.

The CMS plans to finalize an Obama-era rulemaking that updates the standards that critical-access hospitals have to meet for Medicare reimbursement. The agency estimates that implementing the rule could cost the industry $773 million to $1.1 billion.